Dog Owners Are Peeved at Petco

What if you dropped your dog off for grooming, and it was returned to you with more than just freshly cleaned and combed hair? What if it was missing part of its tail, or if part of its ear was severed and re-attached with glue?

Gladys Kapuwai alleges that her dog Dodo had her ear severed during a Petco grooming session.

Those are some of the horror stories coming from a lawsuit filed by two separate women in Oahu, Hawaii, against Petco. The two allege that their dogs were mistreated during their respective grooming sessions at a store in Kaneohe.

Gladys Kapuwai alleges that her dog, Dodo, a Pomeranian–Maltesemix, came back from her grooming appointment with part of its ear glued back on after it was severed. When the cut piece fell off a few days later, a veterinarian discovered an adhesive residue was initially used to re-attach the severed portion of the dog’s ear.

Estelle Green also filed a suit against the animal-store chain. She alleges her dog’s nails were bleeding because they were cut too short, the tip of its tail was cut-off, and its whiskers and eyelashes were cut. When Green complained to the store about the condition of her dog, she was offered a complimentary dog grooming.

Attorney Michael Green, Estelle’s husband, is representing both cases, and the suit filed on Feb. 13 calls for punitive damages for unfair and deceptive practices, breach of duty, and negligence.

Petco responded to the suit with a written statement: “Until we have completed a thorough review of the facts, it would be inappropriate for us to speculate about the claims made in this suit; but we can tell you that we have very strong standards and policies in place for the care and treatment of animals in our stores and grooming salons.”

Since the suit was filed, a third person has come forward alleging mistreatment of her dog during a grooming session at the same Petco location. Vanessa Nkapp of Kailua claims she gave store employees specific instructions on how to groom her dog, which weren’t followed, leaving the animal with bleeding testicles. Knapp has yet to take legal action.